Masquerade
by Audrey E.R
Summary: I was sure of only things now. Jacob had cheated on me. My family had lied to me. And I could only trust one person now." Nessie finds out a few 'secrets' from her family and falls in love with someone other than Jake.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I dont own Twilight. I just own the extra characters in the fanfic that I made up. and also, Im sorry this took so long- i re-wrote 'Restless' to make it all more intense :B**

Prologue

The grip on my wrist was getting stronger, I knew that. How could I not? The fingers were cold, rough and brutally digging into my arm. But I also could feel, as this pressure increased, myself slipping away. My mind was clouding, my body growing numb, and all my eyes could focus on was the dead, piercing stare in front of me, semi covered by a few stray dark blond locks.

"Trust me…" his voice whispered. The sound sent chills down my spine. I tried to reason, but any time I did, the pressure came back, and I was brought back to him. Were my feet touching the ground? I was falling, slipping, deep into his grip. Behind me, I heard another voice, so sweet, calm, low, recognizable. I felt his cold lips near my ear, raising the hair on my neck.

"Trust _us_." Should I? My heart said yes. Did I ever listen to my mind? Not often. Would one more time hurt? Confusion, exhaust, was taking over me. I was dizzy from the heat inside me and the growing pressure expanding from my right arm. The eyes on me were stabbing into me, as if reading my mind…the cold sensation in my back was pulling me away from reasoning.

Why was this happening? I trusted them, or I _had_…before. Now, I didn't know. My heart was hammering against my chest; my breathing was labored, slow, and painful. Their scent was intoxicating me, pulling me further into their strange, sickening embrace. I forced myself to close my eyes, to shut his glare out. Again, the hand on my wrist tightened. I heard a shuffling close by, and felt someone come to me. Two little hands placed themselves on my face, and I opened my eyes to the sudden freezing sensation. It felt as if the hands had just been dipped in a pool of frozen water. I looked at the pale, small, feminine, so familiar face surrounded by short black hair looking straight at me with a soothing, kind face. I exhaled.

"Come, Nessie darling. There's nothing to be afraid of." The voice rang in my ears, high pitched and clear. She smiled and took my hand, leading me outside.


	2. Storm

I watched out my bedroom window as the clouds gathered closer and closer, promising a very loud, strong storm was on its way here. The grey mass covered up the blue clear sky, and the sun, leaving us in the dark. I was used to the rain, after living in the one place in the world where rain's become so normal people practically live with raincoats on. The thunder roared once and then the water started pouring. Fast and heavy, a typical August storm. I smiled. Unlike the rest of my family, I loved the rain. After a storm, the air smells pure. I pressed my nose to the window and wondered slightly if my parents were okay, hunting as they were up in the mountains for the weekend.

"Geez. It's like, apocalyptic out there…" Jake came out from behind me and pulled me to him. "I know it's also in the mountains…think they'll be okay?" I rested my head against his head.

"You're talking about a group of eight vampires, hon. I think they'll be able to withstand a storm. Worse comes to worse, I'm pretty sure Alice knew about this and brought the baseball stuff with her."

Jake laughed and pulled me on his lap. His right hand ran up my back to my neck while his left kept to my thigh. His lips found mine, and I, as usual, found myself locked tight in his loving embrace. I kissed him back and placed my hands in his black curls. I wrapped my legs around him and pressed myself against him. I felt him smile, and he lowered me till I was lying down. I willingly took his weight as he came above me and kissed me again. Lighting suddenly tore across the sky, illuminating my face and Jake's…and plunging the rest of the house in darkness. A low growl came from Jake's chest and he dropped his head.

"Figures…" he sighed. "I'll go get candles."

"Candles?" I smiled. "You realize neither of us needs it, right? And I really don't think we need them _right now_."

"Well yes, but…" He buried his face in my hair. "Candles are more romantic…"

"_Ah… _youknow where they are?" I asked as he got up and left me alone on my bed.

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll figure it out."

"Okay, don't get lost."

He laughed. "I'm not _you_, man." I watched him leave the room.

I smirked and looked back outside. It really was pouring. Wherever she was, aunt Rosalie was probably having a fit right now. Another stroke of lighting shone across the sky like a great electric snake. It was pretty cool, being able to see every color inside it, with my 'vampire' eyes. I was fully grown now, and my senses were getting more acute with every passing day. I could see each raindrop individually as it fell, feel the moist from the water even inside, and hear Jake rummaging through the kitchen cupboards looking for the candles and matches. It was fascinating, and terrifying. I was being torn from being human, or at least somewhat, though I knew I'd never been a real vampire. I didnt really belong in any category.

Another roll of thunder, another stroke of bright blue across the black sky. Something caught my eye outside. Being plunged again in the dark and water, I couldn't really make out what it was, just a blurry shape against a tree. Cringing my eyes and getting myself closer to the window, I leaned near the glass, pressing my hands on the cold matter. I stopped breathing so as to not fog up the glass and focused. As another flash slit across, I clearly made out what the shape was.

There was a girl standing, only 20 feet from me, drenched to the bone. Her outstretched palm lay on the bark of one of the biggest trees around the house. She was standing on one its branches. Her long black hair partly covered her face, but the wind blew back strokes of it, giving her an even more frightening appearance. He was tiny and thin, and was wearing a red dress.

She was also looking directly at me with huge red eyes.

Suddenly, she became a blur and appeared right in front of me, only separated by the thin glass window. I couldn't move or speak, only stare at the girl's incredible beauty, beyond what I had seen before. I was used to vampires, but she was not like me or my family. She was a …_vampire_ vampire. Her skin seemed to glow in the storm and her red eyes had flashes of yellow, orange and black in them. She pressed both hands to the window, precisely where mine were, and leaned towards me. I did not bulge, I felt like my entire body had turned to stone. I couldn't hear anything, feel anything, or see anything but her face. She opened her red small lips into a smile.

Her teeth were covered in fresh blood.

I screamed and closed my eyes. The moment I could only see darkness, I felt myself break from the window and crash on the floor. It felt as though my fingers were on fire, but the rest of my body was numb. I could barely think I felt so dizzy. I heard Jake run up the stairs, graceful as he was, and burst into my room.

"Ness!" His strong hands raised me up and he held me close. I looked out the window.

She was gone.

I stared emptily at the window in front of me. Jake was holding me tightly, hands grasping my shoulder and right forearm in an attempt to stabilize me.

"What the hell happened?!" He asked. I opened my mouth to speak, but I realized that would only make things worse. I was sure of something. I refused to imply Jacob in this. He was already completely wired from what had happened a few months ago. With both of us having been almost killed, I felt like I should keep this one to myself. I mean, I hadn't actually been attacked…and I didn't feel like I was in danger. For all I knew, I'd imagined the whole thing. I suppose recklessness was something inherited from my mother. I cleared my throat and looked up at him.

"I saw a very big bird. I just overreacted, I guess."

Jake glanced at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously? A bird?"

I did what I hoped to be a little laugh, and kissed him. That ought to make him stop talking about it.

"Yeah. A really, really big one. Nothing to worry about. Maybe I'm still a little shaken from…you know." I looked down at my hand. There is was; the little sparkly punctured crescent that shone bright against my skin. I stroked it with my thumb and shuddered. Jake took my hand and kissed it. Then he lowered his head and kissed my neck, right on the other bite mark. I smiled weakly. I hated lying to Jake, but I didn't want him worrying.

"Nothing will hurt you know. I promise." He whispered gently in my ear. "Even if it kills me, I swear, I vow, to protect you from any harm…" He raised his head to my forehead and kissed it. He moved his mouth down to my now closed eyes, my cheeks, tracing my face with his lips and nose slowly. He picked me up and hugged me tightly, while gently kissing my neck.

"I love you." He murmured.

"Me too." I whispered back in his ear. I let my gaze wonder to the window.

It was empty, but I could clearly see small handprints on the glass, too small to be mine.

And far in the forest, illuminated by yet another flash of blue lightning, a small figure dashing across the trees.


	3. Dream

I woke up to the sound of cars racing down the entrance to the house. I could tell from the heat that my head was on Jake's chest, and I could hear his heart beat and feel his breath in my hair. I blinked a few times and rose my head. It was barely dawn outside. Jake was still wearing his shirt and shorts from last night, and I was also fully dressed. We'd fallen asleep in each other's arms. Without anything happening, much to my disappointment. Jake never went past second base. He said he thought I 'wasn't ready' for this kind of thing. A line I thought was very irritating, to which he always answered that he'd wished I'd gotten my father's hormones instead of my mom's. I chuckled as he suddenly growled and jerked in his sleep before falling back snoring again.

_Ever the subtle one._ I got up and looked out the window. Sure enough, the handprints there still there. I leaned and examined them. They were really small hands, almost like a child's. I placed my own against the glass to match hers. Something in the trees caught my attention. I smiled when I saw the Jeep and the bright yellow Porsche whiz through the drive to the house, quickly followed by a red BMW and further behind moving somewhat more slowly, a grey Volvo.

_Ah._ _And they're home…_ I thought and rolled my eyes. Putting on an old sweater, I walked downstairs silently so as not to wake Jake and went to open the door.

"I won! I won!"

"No, you did not!"

"Oh Emmett, _please_, my car obviously hit the driveway before yours."

" No it didn't!"

Alice laughed and waltzed away towards Jasper. Rosalie got out of her car, followed by the arrival of my parents, and my grandparents.

Rosalie immediately came towards me and gave me a hug.

"Hey doll! I missed you!"

"You were gone three days!"

"Which is obviously way too long!" She laughed. Emmett hugged me and messed up my hair, then he and Rose went back in the house. Alice ran at me and took my hands.

"Hi baby girl! Did anything _interesting_ happen while we were gone?" She looked at me knowingly.

"Alice!" I heard Dad growl.

"What? It's bound to happen eventually, Ed. One day, you will just have to accept your baby is a woman."

"Nothing happened, Alice."

"Well, like I said…eventually." She winked and walked away. Jasper ruffled my hair and caught up with her. Esme and Carlisle next hugged me and went inside. Finally, my parents walked to me and Mom pulled me in a tight hug.

"Next time, you're coming with us, okay?" She smiled.

"Geez, you guys really need to relax. You're gonna be seeing me for eternity."

"Not good enough." Dad chuckled and hug me.

"Where's Jake?" Mom asked.

"Upstairs, sleeping like a rock."

"Honestly Bella, why bother asking? The sun's not even up yet." Dad remarked sarcastically. Mom rolled her eyes put her arm around my shoulders.

"So, what'd you guys to while we were gone?"

I couldn't tell them, either. Dad and the guys would get too protective and the girls would probably shut me inside a bunker. I smiled innocently.

"Cliff diving when it was nice out. We visited the pack and Billy. We also saw Charlie. He said he'd come around soon, with Sue. How was hunting?"

"Same old, same old. Your dad caught a bear."

I still found it funny how our conversations sounded so weird out of the vampire context.

"Well, not entirely same old, Bells." Dad said. "We came across a vampire scent trail."

My heart skipped a beat.

"But they were far from here, and not headed near the area. Nothing to worry about." He finished. It wasn't really like Dad to put matters like this aside, he was always paranoid. Mom smiled and shrugged her shoulders. We suddenly heard a loud thump above our heads and a yell of protest.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Jake growled.

"Up up and away." Rosalie said in a flat tone. "You should realize it's only polite to wake up and say hello to those who let you live here."

"Really? Is it also polite to brutally wake up others by knocking them off their bed, blondie?"  
"Only for you, _dog_."

I walked by the staircase as Mom and Dad left towards the living room where Emmett was unwillingly paying Alice what he'd lost in the racing bet.

Rosalie appeared at the top of the stairs and gracefully walked down, not even flinching as one of Jacob's shoes crashed on the wall just above her head. She looked vaguely up to see Jake trembling violently, hands digging into my poor doorframe. He glanced at me and calmed down. Rosalie smirked at him and walked away. Jake grumbled and walked down the stairs towards me.

"I swear if she wasn't your aunt…"

"Don't finish that sentence." I said, putting my fingers to his lips. "And breathe."

The day passed; a blur. Jake, Jasper and Emmett watched TV or played football outside with me, Esme and I cooked for Jake and I, Rose and Alice went shopping, Carlisle went to work, and Mom and Dad were outside, walking. A pretty usual day for the Cullen-Black family, overall. I just had to make sure to keep my thoughts clear and not think about last night. I didn't have to worry about Alice, since she couldn't see my future very clearly, but Dad and Jasper could easily catch on to something. Night fell fast, the time when our human sides hit, for Jake and I, and we usually crashed asleep. I bid good night to all, and Jake took me to my room. He kissed me tenderly when we reached the door and whispered "Sweet dreams." I smiled.

"It's a shame they're back already…" I murmured in his ear as he pulled me in a hug. I let my hands tell him the rest of my thought as I passed images of us together to his mind and he laughed softly and sighed.

"Ness…" We jumped up suddenly to the sound of various piano keys slamming on the keyboard at full volume.

"Damn it Renesme!! There are some things a father should never, ever know about!" Dad yelled from the living room. I giggled and kissed Jake good night.

After closing the door, I glanced at the window. Nothing there. I sighed in relief and went towards my bed to put my Pjs on. After lifting my pillow, I discovered instead of my usual t-shirt and shorts outfit, a short sand yellow nightgown with lace at the bottom and on the sleeves.

_Alice_…I thought and chuckled as I let my head drop. That woman just did not understand limits. I sighed and put it on in front of my mirror. It fit, of course, and it looked nice against my pale skin and bright red hair. I looked at myself. I hadn't really changed in the past year or so. My hair was shoulder length and a little messy, like Dad's, especially my bangs. My skin always gave a strange glow, pale as it was. My large brown eyes were the biggest feature on my face; I had a pretty average nose and somewhat full lips that were always are strange raspberry color. I was small, not as much as Alice, but a little shorter than Mom, around 5'5". I couldn't say that I was ugly or plain. I knew I was beautiful, and I liked it. I smiled and slipped in bed after turning off the light.

The trees were surrounding me, dense, dark, and terrifying. I was alone in the forest, at night. I was wearing a very light, white, lace dress. My feet were stained with dirt. I walked around aimlessly, not really knowing where I was. I recognized the forest as being the one near my house, and far ahead, I could clearly make out the white shape of it. All the lights were on, and I started to run towards it, but as I tried to get closer, it would simply move away. I stopped, out of breath and felt tears run down my cheeks. I was scared. I was cold. I wanted to get out of here. I felt a presence behind me and spun. There was nothing but I could hear twigs crack behind trees, and suddenly, a loud howl pierced the silence of the night. I shrieked and tried to find where the scream came from, turning whenever I heard another twig break.

"Nessie..." I heard a soft voice whisper. I screamed as I spun around, to see that the forest had separated, forming a path towards a large black gate illuminated by the moonlight. As the echo of my scream died away, the last bit of it grew louder and louder, turning slowly into a single note played by a violin. The note turned into a soft, slow melody, of violin and cello, which calmed me down sufficiently to let me catch my breath. It was coming from the gate. I moved towards it slowly, listening to the lullaby grow louder as I got near. Reaching the gate felt like it took hours, but I wasn't scared of being alone in the woods anymore. The song was guiding me, edging me on gently. My fingers wrapped around the cold black metal of the doors. They were very intricate, elaborate; roses, skulls, and crosses intertwined into a fantastic design. I couldn't make out what was behind it, there was a strange mist rising from the ground. I leaned, following the song and the gate opened. As soon as I stepped inside the fog, it lifted, fast as lighting. The scenery before my eyes was amazing. Dozens of large trees with no leaves on them covered the ground. There were red and white rose petals everywhere and the air smelled strongly of them. The melody stopped, and was immediately replaced by a violin solo; the impossibly fast notes played impeccably filled the air as in front of me, hundreds of small candles on the ground lit up by themselves in accordance to the tempo. The small lights reached a large marble door way, where two torches caught on fire automatically when the path of flames reached them. I recognized the building as a tomb. I took a step back, and a gush of wind pushed me towards it brutally. I walked towards it unsurely, stumbling occasionally. I heard my name whispered by the voice various times before I reached the door. When I stepped on the marble surrounding the door, I reached my hand towards a large lion shaped knocker. I grabbed it with my hand and taped on the door once. The door opened with a loud creak and led me into darkness. It shut after I stepped in. I could see nothing, but the fast song was still guiding me onwards. I took one step, only to discover there was no ground beneath me. I screamed as I fell into nothingness.

I woke up with a start, sitting up covered in sweat. Gasping for air, I felt a hand to my throat instinctively. Nothing. Not a single bite mark. I crashed back on my pillow and took a look at my clock. 3:10 am. I breathed slowly to calm myself and closed my eyes. I could still see the cemetery, the candles, the roses, everything. I turned in bed and tried to drift back to sleep, focusing on the relaxing silence surrounding me. But quietly, buried in that silence, I could hear the melody from my dream, and the voice whispering my name.


End file.
